Method of treating materials for sintering.



Q. BENT, E. BARNHART & J. B. LADD. METHOD OF TREATING MATERIALS FOR SINTERING. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, ms.

1,07,988, Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

W ATTORNEY.

, in such physical condition method of treating QUINCY BENT AND EDWIN BARNHART, OF

@ FlCE,

SPARRO'W'S POINT,

MARYLAND, AND

JAMES B. LADD, OF ARDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD or TREATING Mummers ron sm'rnnme.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

Application filed January 31, 1913. Serial No. 745,323.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, Quincy BENT and EDWIN BARNIIAR'I, citizens of the United States, residing at Sparrows Point, in the county of Baltimore, State of Maryland, and JAMES B. LADD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ardmore, in the county of Montgomery, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Method of Treat- Ling Materials for Sintering, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improved 7 materials to be sintered.

The object of the improved method is to prepare the material and deliver the same,

as to assure a uniform sintering: throughout the entire mass.

Many mineral bearing materials, such as ores, exist in such a finely divided state, like dust or sand, that they cannot be used in metallurgical processes until agglomerated or made into lumps. Such finely divided materials are treated by reduce them to a useful condition. One process for treatment of such materials is commonly known as sintering. This coin sists in passing air through the materials, after ignition, thereby causing con'ibustion through the mass to fuse or partly fuse ma terials therein, and to reduce the mass of fine material to a more or less solid mass suitable for treatment in smelting furnaces or the like. In such cases the combustion is supported either by combustible material originally in the fine ore-bearing material, or by carbon or the like purposely added. We have found that in sintering these fine materials, which, to be properly agglomerated. mustbe in a moist state, much better rcsu s are secured by separating into small parts the more or less coherent mass of material, and by lightly and evenly sprinklingor depositing said small and separate parts so that the entire mass to be treated shall lie loosely and be of uniform density and consistency. In this condition the mass offers uniform resistance to the passage of air through it,'thereby insuring uniform combustion throughout the mass.

We have discovered that if the mass is not of uniform consistency, the air will pass more rapidly through the parts which offer the least resistance, and the combustion in various processes to loosely. That is to say, the material should i not be packed tightly, either as a mass, or in any part of the mass, so as to cause undue resistance to the air current, and thus unnecessarily increase the power required to produce the passage of air through the mass.

Our invention therefore comprises the im proved method of preparing the material, or placing the material, in proper physical condition, in position for sintering and like processes. In other words, our method 0011- templates the final physical treatment of the material preparatory to applying heat thereto.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate merely by \vay of example, a suitable arrangement for effecting the invention, the figure is a diagraunnatic elevation, partly in section.

Referring to this drawing, the pan 1 is provided with the grate 2, which in this case is shown stationary. It is obvious that the grate may be a movable one. Beneath the grate is the suction space or box 3. The sieve or sitter 4 is located above thegrate or sinicring: bed and adapted to deliver inaterial thereto. This sitter is shown as oscillair-(l by the crank 5 and connecting rod 6.

t is obvious that a rotating sifter, or any other form of sitter or screen with means for agitating same may be used. Nor need the method herein described and claimed be confined to the use of a sitter or screen. It will obviously include any means suitable l'or breaking up the material and sprinkling and depositing the same on a sintering bed in a loose mass of uniform density. Material is delivered tothesifter by the chute 7 delivering from the hopper 8. A

feed screw 9 is shown for delivering material from the hopper 8 For the purpose of spreading the material evenly from one end of the pan to the other, the Sifter, hopper unted on a traveland chute are shoyyn m it Wlll be obvir'us ing crane 10. Of course is o1 mow I1? associated Ii xeioiore 'eceised, of sintering these ls, Elie materiel. is deli ereo to the pan or We by e. chute iioppei', eonveyer the l or iii alike, and no matter how Worried has been previously treated, We lie" is found. shat it cannot delivered by .Ci! 1-. iods to fol-m mass having the inside oizerecterisiies above described. by I nemely the smell separated parts loosely together, and that the mass has form eonsistenoy density throughd iiile ordinarily we consider it preferable L =1: iliiG material directly through the sen oi" sieve to its final resting piece in pen or grade, it will be obvious that any interveniii between the sieve. and is pain, which will deliver the material to W, finial. vesting piece, in such manner as to mass having; the same desirable cnsi l form octerisiics above specified, would some Withspirit and scope 01 our invention. H be understood time We not use sen or sieve primarily to size she muse is us'usliy the object, of. such debut the primary object eif our T is no break up the material and thus we ii; to uniii'ezm consistency, and to ie-i? e Wei-ere severe in all methods- *iered.

lightly. into e mass of deposit is evenly consistency to be sind uniform density szd What We claim is 1. The method of preparing material for sintering, which consists in sprinkling finely divided moist material and depositing the same directly as sprinkled on e siritering bed in a. loose mass of uniform density.

-2. The method of preparing msterislior sin'tering, which consists in breaking up into small parts finely divided material having a tendency to'cohere and depositing the mstelifil on a sintering bed in a loose mass of uniform density.

3. The method of preparing material for siiiterin'g, which consists in breaking up into small parts finely divided slightly coherent mseria]. and depositing the separated parts on a. sintering bed in a loose mass of uniform density.

emos BENT. I seems BARNHART.

JAMES B. LADD. 

